A World of Hope
A World of Hope
I have a hope in God, which these men themselves also accept, that there is going to be a resurrection. (Acts 24:15)
Hostile Territory
As God’s children we live in a world that rejects our faith and rejects us also. For although this is God’s world, He has chosen in His sovereignty to allow Satan—the great usurper, both God’s enemy and ours—to wield inordinate influence in the affairs of men, to make things uncomfortable for Christians. As a result, we cannot and are actually commanded not to grow too comfortable here. Although God gives us many blessings in this life, that doesn’t mean our outward circumstances are always pleasant. Sometimes they are painful and difficult.
A Hopeful Truth
But He does give us hope. And this hope is a greater blessing than the greatest of earthly circumstances. We are promised an eternal life in paradise that will make the trials of this life seem “momentary” and “light” when viewed in ultimate perspective (see 2 Cor. 4:17).
This is not an empty promise. God has guaranteed our resurrection and our eternity by the resurrection of Christ. As Jesus is now, so we will be. His bodily resurrection guarantees ours. All the real disappointments we experience on this earth will be redeemed in the resurrection. As C. S. Lewis described in The Chronicles of Narnia, a day will come when death will work backward, when all that is wrong in this world will be made right forever. That is our sure hope.
Bottom Line
Life on this earth will not always be easy, but we can handle it because of our unshakable hope in the resurrection.